Latah County, Idaho
Latah County (pron. ) is a county located in the north central region of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 37,244 at the 2010 census.Quickfacts.census.gov - Latah County - accessed 2011-10-08. The county seat and largest city is Moscow, the home of the University of Idaho, the state's flagship and land-grant university. About The county comprises the majority of the eastern portion of the Palouse, famous for its rolling hills and rich agriculture. Latah County is the only county in the U.S. established by an act of Congress; it was originally part of Nez Perce County, which was reluctant to lose its most populated area.Latah County - history Latah County was created in 1888 and named for Latah Creek in its northwest corner. The name is Nez Perce and means "the place of pine trees and pestle", because the tribe found stones here suitable for pulverizing camas roots and shade under the white pine trees in which to work. Idaho.gov - Latah County - accessed 2009-06-06 Latah County comprises the Moscow, ID, Micropolitan Statistical Area. History Latah County has the distinction of being the only county in the United States created by an Act of Congress. Latah and Kootenai County were first created by the act of December 22, 1864, and the two unorganized counties were attached to Nez Perce County until they were organized. The act provided that when fifty or more inhabitants petitioned the governor, he was authorized to appoint three commissioners, until an election could be held. Three separate efforts at county organization failed, due to the opposition of Lewiston, the county seat of Nez Perce County In 1887, Fred T. Dubois, Idaho's delegate in Congress, was asked to introduce a bill in the United States Congress which was passed and approved by President Cleveland on May 14, 1888. The act confirmed the boundaries and named the first board of county commissioners.http://www.usgennet.org/usa/id/county/latah/history.htm Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 99.98%) is land and (or 0.02%) is water. It is part of the Palouse, a wide and rolling portion of the middle Columbia basin. Adjacent counties * Benewah County - north * Shoshone County - northeast * Clearwater County - east * Nez Perce County - south * Whitman County, Washington - west National protected area * St. Joe National Forest (part) Highways Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 34,935 people, 13,059 households, and 7,770 families residing in the county. The population density was 32 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 13,838 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile (5/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 93.94% White, 0.59% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 2.10% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 1.76% from two or more races. 2.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.4% were of German, 13.5% English, 8.7% Irish, 7.8% American and 5.9% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 13,059 households out of which 27.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.50% were married couples living together, 6.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.50% were non-families. 26.30% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.93. In the county the population was spread out with 20.30% under the age of 18, 24.50% from 18 to 24, 26.90% from 25 to 44, 18.90% from 45 to 64, and 9.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 107.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $32,524, and the median income for a family was $46,303. Males had a median income of $34,734 versus $24,886 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,690. About 7.90% of families and 16.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.20% of those under age 18 and 5.40% of those age 65 or over. Forty percent of all workers in Latah County work for the University of Idaho or Washington State University in nearby Pullman. Flora and fauna There are numerous species of plants and animals within Latah County. There are a variety of tree species within the county including Western White Pine.Julie R. Monroe (2006) Latah County, Arcadia Publishing, 127 pages ISBN 0-7385-3133-2 Faunal species include the Clay-colored sparrow[http://www.idahobirds.net/ibrc/reviewspecies/tanagers_longspurs.html Shirley Shurts, 2006, A Comprehensive List of Review Species Reports in Idaho] and Rough-Skinned Newt.C. Michael Hogan (2008) Rough-skinned Newt ("Taricha granulosa"), GlobalTwitcher, ed. N. Stromberg http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=43182 Government and politics Latah County has long been one of the most politically competitive counties in Idaho, while the state as a whole is strongly Republican. Latah County residents voted in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections for the Republican candidate at a lower rate than the rest of the state. In 2000, George W. Bush carried Latah County with 53.3% of the vote; in 2004, this fell to 49.5% of the vote as the Democratic vote share increased from 37.0% to 48.0%. Ralph Nader, who received 6.5% of the vote in 2000, was not on the ballot in 2004. In 2008, Barack Obama carried the county over John McCain 51.9%-45.1%. In 2006, Latah County voted 55.05% against HJR 2, which amended the Idaho Constitution to outlaw same-sex marriage; the measure passed with 63.35% of the statewide vote. Blaine County, a very popular ski resort area and Idaho's one Democratic stronghold, was the one other county to reject HJR 2.Idaho HJR 2 Results by County On the precinct level, Democrats generally carry the university city of Moscow by moderate margins, and the rural remainder of the county is strongly Republican. Communities Cities Administration Building (1909) in Moscow]] Unincorporated community *Viola According to the 2000 census, the population in the unincorporated areas of Latah County was 9,044, which was 25.9% of the county's population. See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Latah County, Idaho References External links * *State of Idaho - Latah County *Latah County Historical Society *Latah Trail Project *National Register of Historic Places - Latah County Category:Counties of Idaho Category:Latah County, Idaho Category:Established in 1888 Category:Chinook Jargon placenames